FEEL NRI Conference 2012 recognizes prominent NRIs

naeem@coastaldigest.com (S M Farooq)

February 16, 2012

Kuwait, February 16: The NRI Conference 2012 held in Kuwait on February 9 and 10 has recognized four prominent Indian nationals in the Middle East based on their leadership efforts aimed at enhancing life situation of Non Resident Indians and for their time and resources contributed to uplift the poor and downtrodden in the community.

The Conference, first of its kind in the Middle East was organized by the FEEL (Foundation for Enhancing Expatriate Life, an independent initiative of Kuwait Kerala Muslim Association (KKMA) to discuss issues related to expatriate Indians in gulf countries mainly their concerns on saving and investment opportunities.

According to FEEL, the recognition award, titled as FEEL NRI Jewel Award was established to honor those NRIs who have provided significant community and public service to the Indian Diaspora in the Middle East. By honoring those who have worked selflessly for NRI causes and India, we are providing exposure of such role models to the next generation, the press release issued by FEEL said.

The awardees included Padmashree Dr. B.R. Shetty, Managing Director of NMC Group, United Arab Emirates, Padmashree Dr. Azad Moopen, Managing Director of DM Foundation, Padmashree Dr. C.K. Menon, Chairman and Managing Director of Behzad Group of Companies, Mr. Sunny Mathews, Managing Director of Sefeena General Trading and Contracting Co., Kuwait.

M.M. Hassan, former Non Resident Affairs Minister of Kerala was awarded with NRI Sahakari Award. Mr. Hasan in his role as a Minister and as a social leader was one of the key personnel in establishing a separate department and ministry for dealing with NRI affairs. He was also the Chairman of the first ever NRI Conference held in Kuwait.

A special recognition award was presented to Nandakumaran P., the Managing Director of State Bank of Travancore for his support and participation in the NRI Conference.

The awards were presented jointly by M.M. Hassan, Satish C. Mehta, the Ambassador of India to Kuwait in presence of a large number of community leaders and conference delegates. President Abdul Fatah, KKMA’s CFO Mohammad Ali Matara, General Secretary A.P. Abdul Salam and convener Rajan Rawther decorated the Awardees with “ponnada”.

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Good news for Indian expats in Saudi Arabia: Passport update now just a click away!

News Network

April 12,2025

Riyadh, April 12: In a welcome move for Indian expatriates and other foreign residents in Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom has introduced a new online service that allows residents to update their passport information without visiting the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat). The service is available through the widely used Absher platform.

This initiative comes as a major time-saver for Indian expats, especially those renewing their passports, as it eliminates the need for lengthy in-person appointments and physical document submissions at Jawazat offices.

Who Can Use the Service?

The online update feature is available to expatriates aged 18 and above. Once a passport is renewed, Indian expats can log in to Absher (via their employers account), navigate to My Services, select Passport, and then access Resident Identity Services to update the relevant information.

A clear photo of the new passport must be uploaded. The system automatically extracts the passport number and expiry date using advanced digital recognition tools.

Before submitting, users are required to pledge that:

The old passport has not been lost.
There are no reports of absence from work.
There are no pending traffic violations linked to the resident's Iqama.
There are no security-related restrictions on the expat or the employer.

Important for Indian Families

If family members previously listed on the old passport have been issued individual passports, the online service cannot be used. In such cases, a personal visit to Jawazat is necessary to complete the update.

Likewise, if the passport is lost, the expat must report the loss and update information directly at the Jawazat office. Any misuse or incorrect submission will result in accountability under Saudi law, including potential charges of forgery.

Fee Details

To avail this convenience, a nominal fee of SR69 (including VAT) is applicable for each passport update request.

Why It Matters

With over 2 million Indians living and working in Saudi Arabia, this digital service is expected to ease the bureaucratic burden and save time for thousands of individuals who previously had to navigate crowded offices and long wait times. It also enhances accuracy and ensures smoother processing for both employees and employers.

Indian community associations have welcomed the move, calling it a step forward in digital convenience and administrative efficiency for expatriates.

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